In honor of Groundhog Day, here are some activities that repeat regularly on the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks.  

While we don’t have groundhogs in Orange County, we still watch to see if Punxsutawney Phil predicts six more weeks of winter, and some people have made it a tradition to watch the movie Groundhog Day every year to commemorate the holiday. The combination of these two American culture references have coined the phrase “like Groundhog Day” to mean something that you know is going to happen because it has happened before, over and over.

Repeating the past eventually worked out in the movie, and predictability isn’t always such a bad thing. For instance, when it comes to finding time for recreation or volunteer activities, knowing that an opportunity comes around regularly can make it easier to fit it into your schedule. 

Come out and help repair a remote trail, and visit a rarely-seen historic monument.

“Under This Tree General Andres Pico Hung Two Banditos of the Flores Gang in 1857.”

There is very little embellishment on the Hangman’s Monument in Limestone Canyon Nature Preserve. Just a simple plaque with this statement set into a small rock pedestal. It was installed by a group of equestrians in 1967, when the trail was part of a working ranch. Today, the monument is challenging to get to on foot, but an upcoming volunteer activity will drop visitors just a short walk away from this piece of Orange County history.

There are morning hikes almost every day next week designed to connect hikers and runners to the land and trails of the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmark at a time of day ideal for being active outdoors.

You’ve probably heard the saying, “the early bird catches the worm.” What this old English proverb has come to mean is that those who take advantage of active and productive mornings are going to find success in life. With this in mind, you might want to consider registering for one of several upcoming morning activities next week and find your proverbial “worm.”

The project is entering its second year, with many signs of progress.

One of the biggest challenges for any habitat restoration project in the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks is access to water. While some projects benefit from leftover cattle trough water lines from the area’s ranching days, other projects need to rely on more creative methods. In the Agua Chinon area of OC Parks’ Limestone Canyon, a nearby municipal water source has made access to water possible, improving the success rate of a 30-acre habitat restoration project. 

However, as visitors to Agua Chinon have noticed, bringing that water from the tank to the plants involves a thick main irrigation line running along the trail, with several smaller lines going off into the planting areas. Not the most natural sight to see, but a true sign of the rehabilitation that continues in this wildlife habitat. Currently the majority of the work is being done in a 17-acre mitigation area funded by OC Waste & Recycling and managed by Irvine Ranch Conservancy. As the project enters its second year, the regular irrigation has meant steady progress in returning this watershed back to a more native environment.